The federal arts minister, Mitch Fifield, has said the government will exercise better consultation with the industry, hinted at “significant changes” to the contentious new arts excellence program and called small-to-medium organisations “the beating heart” of Australian arts.
Fifield said during a Friday roundtable event with more than 70 delegates in Sydney that he was reviewing a Senate inquiry with more than 1,200 submissions into the impact on the arts of the 2014 and 2015 federal budgets. The inquiry ended on Thursday and will be tabled on 26 November.
Many in the industry responded with anger when the former arts minister George Brandis suddenly announced the establishment of the national program for excellence in the arts (NPEA) as part of the 2015 budget. Fifield said no government proposal involving significant industry changes should happen “out of the blue, without any context”.
#freethearts Senator Mitch Fifield presents to industry leaders - no wall up - feeling positive about the future pic.twitter.com/efpJ9vRDLE
— Claire Edwardes (@ClairePerc) November 6, 2015
The behind-closed-doors nature of the budget made it a poor forum for announcing such changes, he said, and should not be done without industry consultation. “First talk to the stakeholders, talk to the sector and share what’s on your mind to see if there’s a better way of doing something.”
The minister shared his mobile phone number with the delegates and encouraged them to contact him.
Under Brandis’s plan, a budget of $104.7m was to be taken from the country’s top arts funding body, the Australia Council, to create the NPEA. Critics voiced concerns after Brandis announced in July that NPEA grants were to be administered directly by the arts ministry, fearing a shift away from the arm’s-length funding model of the Australia Council.
Fifield said he would announce his decision regarding the NPEA in two weeks and said that while the program was always intended to have a period for consultation and feedback, there would “probably be more significant changes than had initially been anticipated”.
In its original form, it was not envisaged the NPEA would provide grants to individual artists. Fifield said he was currently “wrestling” with this aspect of the program. “Do I open up the national program to individuals or do you make sure there is just one channel for individuals and that’s through Australia Council, and that’s appropriately funded?”
#freethearts Minister Fifield v. impressive. Honest commitment to consultation. Background in Disability a big advantge.
— Glen McGillivray (@GlenMcGillivray) November 6, 2015
Much of his success in his new portfolio would be determined on the willingness of those in the room to become his “teacher”, he said. “I’m both a steward of the arts, and in a sense a student of the arts. You don’t want to be too proud and think there isn’t a heap you can learn.”
The former disability minister addressed an article in the Australian that claimed he had not attended any arts events in the past year. Fifield said he told the journalist he had attended “great performances” by disability dancers e.motion21, exhibitions by the families of polio survivors and the artwork of those living in aged care facilities – but this had not been deemed worthy of mention.
“I just want to make clear, and I’m sure I don’t have to convince you, the arts is broad and it should be inclusive. And I will continue to take a very strong interest in the work of people who might face challenges beyond their control.”
Fifield said he saw small-to-medium arts organisations as “the beating heart” of the Australian arts industry, “where the creativity and experiments and the risks take place”.
He said he would “put partisanship aside” because “people have a very low threshold for petty partisanship, point scoring. They just want you to get on with the business.”
Chris Bendall, chief executive of Critical Stages, a campaigning body for independent theatre, tweeted after that the session was conducted in a “constructive, collaborative and positive manner”, but Zane Trow, a creative arts manager from Queensland, warned against celebrating too soon.
I'd like to be wrong, but unlikely to me the far right of the coalition will allow any money already cut, back into the Aus Co.#freethearts
— Zane Trow (@ZaneTrow) November 6, 2015
Shadow arts minister Mark Dreyfus, Labor senator Jacinta Collins and Greens MP Adam Bandt also met representatives from the arts community on Friday.
- This article was amended on 7 November, 2015 to say there were more than 70 delegates at the roundtable
